Fill My Heart
by Trafalgar-Sev
Summary: A scarred heart is difficult to heal. But in this warm tale set during the holiday season, the Company of Thorin Oakenshield proves otherwise. Set in a modern American high school. OC, AU, younger!Company
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! So this is my first attempt at writing for The Hobbit because I'm crazy over LOTR/Hobbit right now. That and it's almost Christmas! I hope you will all enjoy this story! Thank you so much!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters or The Hobbit. I only own the people I created.**

**Without further blabbing, the story...**

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Despite the fact that everyone was laughing and yelling, there was one girl who stood out. For one, she wasn't laughing, nor yelling. She wasn't even blinking. She was staring intently at a young man who was laughing and joking around with his friends. _Kili_. The young boy was the nephew of the once famous company owner. Yet even though his uncle isn't rich anymore, he was still very popular. _More than I am anyway._ She chided herself softly. She was never a popular girl, not even a neutral one. More than ever, Benitia Brownings was someone that was forgotten. That's what she thought.

_Plop._ Someone sat so suddenly next to her that she jumped. The person laughed without malice. She recognized the voice immediately; it was Bofur, a classmate of hers who always wore a weird-looking hat.

"So, why don't ye join us?" He asked kindly. She had always admired him, in a friendly way of course. Bofur was the kind of person who can befriend you easily.

"I don't think I should join you guys… I might be too depressing…" Benitia quietly murmured. Bofur went 'tsk tsk' at her, and immediately proceeded to drag her out of her chair to join his group. Being small and skinny in structure and size, she didn't know how to fight back. She soon found herself sitting with Bofur's cousin, Bifur, and his brother Bombur. Bifur was always literately challenged, so he stuck to sign language. Bombur was a bit more on the chubby side if you place it politely, but in truth Bombur would be one of the widest child you'd ever see. Yet no one said that to him, for Bombur is one of the kindest people you'd ever meet.

"So, ye probably know, this is my brother, Bombur, my cousin Bifur. This is Benitia." Bofur introduced each of them to each other. Bombur and Bifur were both polite and said, 'Nice to meet you' and 'nigh tu maot ye' with lots of visuals. Benitia nodded slowly and listened to them talk. _She doesn't talk much, eh?_ Bofur thought, with a small frown. As he was a kind-hearted person, he wanted to help her feel natural.

"Say, lassie, weren't ye lookin' at the lad Kili ov'r there?" He asked, not knowing that this embarrassed her deeply.

"I-I-I wasn't looking… I just… It's that…. Um…" Benitia stuttered and failed to hide the growing red on her pale cheeks. She looked down at her feet, hidden in thin boots. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ She yelled at herself. Seeing that he has made her feel quite uncomfortable, he quickly changed the subject.

"Um, so, what are ye doin' this weekend?" She looked up. Tilted her head to the side and he saw her lips become a thin line. As if it was painted, with the artist forgetting that it needed color, for her entire face became pale. He thought she wasn't going to reply but she did. Though it was clipped and held no emotion.

"I'm visiting my father." She seemed to spat out the word. Even though she wasn't very noticeable, almost everyone knew that his father had abused his entire family. Scarring Benitia and her two little sisters so much that they barely smiled anymore. He was about to apologize when her expression changed suddenly.

"I'm also going to the animal shelter and then to the orphanage." She all but chirped. Bofur nodded, and soon noticed that in all this conversation, Bombur had gone to search for food, while Bifur took a nap. He sighed. _At least I got to know her better_.

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**I hoped you enjoyed this so far! I won't be updating at a fast pace, so this might go on even after Christmas. Thank you for reading!**

**-Sev**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! I'm sorry that this story has to continue even though it's already Christmas... I would've updated this earlier in the morning, but I couldn't connect to FanFiction... Anyways!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit or any of it's characters. I only own Benitia, Yew, and Whittle**

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_DING!_ The sound of hundreds of pounding feet shook Oin like thunder. He shuddered. He never liked thunder in the first place. Unlike the foolish lad Kili, he was no fan of striking electricity. Loud whoops of laughter could be heard behind him. _Speak of the devil_. He thought.

"Hey Oin! Why the face?" Kili's smile was quite contagious as Oin felt like smiling himself. Fili closely behind him, also with a huge smile on his face. "Do you wanna come over today? Uncle Thorin won't mind."

"No, I'm sorry. I have to go to the ear doctors and get my hearing aid replaced. It's broken again." Oin has a hearing problem and has to wear a hearing aid to help. But sadly, the bullies, namely Azog and his cronies, usually mess up the wires and the delicate technology.

"Is it Azog again? I can help you talk to the teachers for that."

"No, but thank you. It's okay," Oin didn't really want to bother Kili and Fili with this, because then that would bring Dwalin and maybe even Dori, Nori, and Ori; and maybe they can just as well bring in Bofur and his relatives for that. And the last thing Oin wanted would be making a big deal out of all this.

"Oh, okay then. But if they try to bother you again, do tell us," this time it was Fili who spoke. Both of the brothers are too nice for their own good and may be used. If their uncle would let such a thing to be used; Thorin adored his nephews, no matter how strict he is: Thorin Oakenshield is a big softy at heart. But only few know that.

"Thank you. But you don't really—"

"Oin! Time to go! Ma doesn't like to wait!" Gloin yelled. Quite annoyed at his brother for the hold up, he proceeded to drag him over. Yet at the same time accidently knock a small figure off their feet.

"Ow!" Benitia held her head. She felt around the crown to the back, where the pain was at it's worst. She could only imagine how a bump would soon surface. Slowly, she opened her eyes, to see a ginger looking down at her.

"'M sorry about that laddie. Do ye need some help gettin' up?" Gloin offered his hand to the fallen girl. She slowly took it and felt calloused hands pull her up. The world spun around her as she tried to steady her vision. With no success, she squeezed her eyes shut again to make the dizziness stop.

"Is she okay?" Benitia's heart jumped about a hundred feet high at that. _It's Kili's voice._ Some stable part of her mind said, but she was anything but stable now. _He's caring about me._ She felt giddy despite the fact that her head pounded.

"I think she should go to the nurse; she had a bad fall. Come along Kili, hold her left arm." There were other voices speaking, but she fell into a black hole…

Benitia blinked out the sleepiness. The room was all white, with smell of rubbing alcohol. _Where am I?_ Attempting to sit up, the pounding pain in the back of her head returned, and black spots danced in front of her. Moaning and holding her head, she slowly remembered what had happened before. Suddenly, someone slammed the door open, no doubt hearing her moan of pain. Not comprehending everything as well as she could, she saw blurs of gold, brown, orange and black.

"Ye alright laddie?" A name came to her mind. What is it? Bubar? Bofar? Bofur! That's who it was!

"Urm ukur. Wur im I?" She managed to say. Of course, what she meant to say was 'I'm okay. Where am I?' But they guessed that much.

"You're in the nurse's office. You bumped your head a little hard on the ground." That was Fili's voice. At least it's whom it sounds like. Benitia can't think well anymore.

"'M really sorry laddie. I hope your head gets better. I really do." The orange blur had spoken. Funny, she'd never thought that she'd call Gloin an orange blur.

Someone else bustled into the room wearing all white.

"Get out! Out! The girl needs to rest!" The nurse waved her arms around as if batting away flies. Funny thing was she was batting away Benitia's saviors. But the group complied anyways and left, all taking a look at the girl, before shaking their heads and leaving.

"Goodness. Now dear, lift your head so I can check your bump."

By the time Benitia got out of the nurse's office, it was already 5o'clock or so. _I was supposed to go to get Yew at Club Une!_ She thought miserably. Yew was her smallest sister, and, like Oin, she was also hearing challenged. But no one tried to bully her, not with Whittle around. Whittle was Benitia's first little sister, who was as tough as a fifth grader, even though she was only in third grade. _I'll just call her._ She took out her phone, a gift from her grandfather, and dialed the speed number "3". She waited for the line to go through. Finally, the line clicked.

_"Hello?"_

"Hey Whit, are you and Yew both at Club Une?"

_ "Yeah. Are you okay? You were supposed to be here an hour ago."_ Benitia felt her heart swell. No matter what, Whittle would always care for everyone else's condition before her own.

"Yeah, I fell and bumped my head kinda hard. But I'm okay now. Tell Yew that I'm going to be there in about ten to fifteen minutes okay?"

_"Okay, be careful!"_

"I will, see you soon."

_"Okay."_ The line fell silent. Benitia looked at the empty courtyard of her school. And set off to go to the elementary school.

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**That's it for Chapter Two! Thank you for reading, and also a special thank you to both TheMaddieArchives and Eightbooksand60cats for being the first follower/favorite and reviewer! Thank you so much for the support!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi! This chapter is longer than the last two, but I believe that it's not all that stuffed… Anyways!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, they belongs to J.R.R Tolkien.**

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The two young girls sat next to each other in the back of the room, looking expectantly at the door every now and then. Each time when it opened they sat a little taller, only to slump back down again as it was not their sister. This routine has gone on for an hour or so until Whittle's phone rang. She sighed with relief at the Caller ID, but hid her emotions as she answered.

"Hello?"

_"Hey Whit, are you and Yew at Club Une?"_

"Yeah, are you okay? You were supposed to be here an hour ago." Whit could feel her doubting her older sister, fearing that she had forgot about them. That she'd abandon them like Father did. But her sister's reply made all those negative thoughts goes away like the black clouds do after a storm.

_"Yeah, I fell and bumped my head kinda hard. But I'm okay now. Tell Yew that I'm going to be there in about ten to fifteen minutes okay?"_ Whit's heart almost stopped. Thoughts ran through her mind. _Did someone push her? Is it Father with his evil deeds? Was there a bully at the middle school that wanted to hurt her?_ She pushed those thoughts away. _She'll be fine._

"Okay, be careful!"

_"I will, see you soon."_

"Okay." She hung up. Then turned to see her little sister, the first grader with the golden sunshine no matter what, and saw the worry dance across her chocolate eyes. Whittle smiled warmly, before side-hugging her sister.

"She's okay, just bumped her head that's all. She'll be here in ten minutes or so." She saw the worry dance out of Yew's eyes.

"So 'Nitia is going to be here soon?" Yew asked.

"Yes, she'll be here soon."

LlLlL

Fili and Kili looked at the door. Then looked at each other. Then back at the door again. They gulped.

"Say little brother, did you, perhaps, brought the key?" Fili looked at the brunet. He saw her brother visibly cringe.

"Say, I thought you brought the key." They looked at each other, then at the door one more time before yelling 'Not it!' Fili said it a fraction of a second faster. And it prevented him from certain death. Kili looked at his iPhone as if it would kill him any second. Then speed dialed number '2'. They waited for the line to go through. It clicked.

_"Hello?"_ Kili pleaded to Fili with his eyes, but it didn't work. He was on his death role.

"Hi Mom…" He waited.

_"Why did you call me? After school?"_

"Um, we, may have forgot the key…" The silence was murderous. They heard the intake of breath, before all hell broke loose.

_"What do you mean that you forgot the key? I thought I told you boys, not just once, but lots of times to always bring the key! Do you expect me to get off of work to open the door for you? No! Wait outside until either me or your uncle comes home!" _With that, the line was cut off. The brothers looked at each other.

"That could've been worse."

LlLlL

The door to Club Une finally opened to reveal a head of dark black with thin streaks of silver. Though her mother never approved of her highlighting her hair, Benitia's dark head was complemented with light strands. Not only did it make her stand out, it made her sisters feel proud that she's going bold. To make a statement that all the things that they endured as younger children didn't dampen their strength.

"'Nitia!" Yew exclaimed. The first grader quickly got up at ran towards her oldest sibling. Benitia plucked her right from the ground and spun her around. Trotting right behind her was Whittle, smiling softly; but the smile didn't hide the worry.

"I'm alright Whit, one of my classmates bumped into me. There isn't any permanent damage." She smiled at her, and was soon tackled into a big bear hug. Her smile widening even more, she dragged Yew into the group hug.

"Come on now, let's go." Turning the young girls to the general direction of their bags, Benitia saw the wreath that hung next to the coat rack. She felt her bright mood dampen. _It's almost Christmas…_ Visibly shaking, she clasped her hands together and twisted them. The pain was excruciating, but bearable. She didn't want any negative thoughts to affect her sisters. Yew was the golden sunshine, while Whit was the soft moonlight; this was both true in sight as well with Yew's golden head and Whit's light blonde with bits of gold here and there. They were the happiness in the dark.

"'Nitia, can we go see the Christmas lights?" Yew's chocolate eyes pleaded._ If it's for Yew, I can live with it._ Benitia told herself.

"Sure, but we can't do all the houses. We would take too much time." Despite the fact that she was expecting sadness to cross her sister's eyes, they were instead brighter than before.

"Okay! Can we go to Erebor Avenue?" Benitia's heart skipped a beat. They were going to walk on Kili and Fili's street. How she knew that was their street she'll never say. Her head light, she nodded. She vaguely heard Yew cheer, but she was far away…

LlLlL

As the three girls walked down the street, two boys – or men, give or take – were sitting on their doorstep. Yew was never still, jumping and 'ooh-ing' and 'ahh-ing' the entire time. Whit was silently admiring the decorations, but if you looked into those hazel eyes, you'll see that they were practically shining with all the lights reflecting on it. Benitia, however, was looking for a certain house: the one with the strong oak door and the big windows. Then she saw it, along with an amusing sight.

"'Nitia, why are they sitting in front of their door? Are they locked out?" Benitia could hardly stifle her giggling. The two brothers were sitting cross-legged and pouting in a childlike way, looking for the black BMW that would be their uncle's. They didn't bother with looking for the silver Ford; that would be torture.

As if they heard the off-handed comment, both looked up to see the girl who was knocked off her feet – literally– by Gloin today. But she looked different than how she was at school: for one, she wasn't hurt. Two, she was smiling. Seeing her smile, Kili decided that her smiling was better. Fili instead decided that he wanted to make sure that she'd always smile.

"Hello, Benitia, right?" Fili asked her, raising his eyebrows doing so. Realizing that their attention was on her, she stiffened, but nodded anyways. "Do you live around here?"

"No," she answered quietly. "My sister wanted to see the lights."

"I see, is your head better?"

Nod.

"That's good." Kili suddenly jumped into the conversation. Benitia felt her heart speed up, and focused on fighting off her blush. Being pale, her blush would be _very_ noticeable. Someone tugged on her shirt. Becoming startled, she turned and saw Yew jumping and pointing at a car. Benitia wondered why her sister would be so happy to see a car, until she saw the person in the car. _Thorin Oakenshield_. Once the owner of Dain's Co., he's a well respected man. _He is also the uncle of Kili and Fili._ She realized. The car turned smoothly onto the driveway. Strange enough, she thought she saw the brothers gulp.

Thorin stepped out of the car, and turned to his nephews. Kili looked everywhere except his uncle's eyes, while Fili looked at his feet. The girls could feel the tension growing, but felt that they would betray the boys if they left them to their uncle. Finally, Thorin spoke.

"You forgot the keys." Nod.

"And Dis won't come to help." Another nod, more miserable this time.

"So you waited for me to let you in." Looking more ashamed than a child being caught doing something wrong, Kili looked at Thorin with huge puppy dog eyes. Thorin sighed.

"Alright, before you two get sick." Audibly letting out the breath that they were holding, the two brothers thought they were out of the danger zone. That is, until Thorin dropped the bomb.

"But I'll let Dis deal with you later, I think she would want to be the one handing out the consequences." Fili groaned while Kili moaned. Benitia had to admit that they were quite synchronized. Suddenly, Thorin looked at the three girls. "And you three are?"

Benita felt herself closing in; it usually happens when she's with adults that she isn't familiar with. Sensing that she's on 'shut off', as they called it, Whit spoke up.

"Hello, we were just admiring the lights and decorations. They are very pretty." Yew caught on immediately, and giggled and grabbed onto Benitia's arm. Snapping out of her 'shut off', she nodded and waved goodbye to the three –one fully, the other two partial– men. Fili waved back on instinct, while Kili took a second or two. Thorin nodded his head and ushered his nephew's into their house.

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**Thank you all for reading! If you think this chapter had too many things stuffed into one, tell me and I'll try to change it. A special thanks to karlybabi7 and TheMaddieArchives for following and reviewing! Also thanks to all the readers!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! I'm so sorry that I hadn't updated, I was a bit sick. But anyways! Welcome to 2014!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Hobbit characters, I own what my strange imagination had created.**

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"Ye think she'll be a'right?" Bofur asked the other boys with him. Kili and Fili shrugged, and looked back at the office door. They knew that the nurse didn't want them to enter, but none of the boys expected to be kicked out.

"Wonder why she didn't defend us…" Kili offhandedly commented. Fili looked at his younger brother for a moment before shaking his head. He didn't think arguing with Kili would be the best thing right now; so he looked at Oin and Gloin. The two brothers had asked, more like pleaded, with their mother to help the girl. It was only right to apologize since Gloin was the one who knocked her down. And now that they had, they had to go to the appointment.

"Well, I got'a go now. See ye guys Monday" Oin simply stated, and walked swiftly to him mother's car. Gloin did the same, with a puzzled look at why his brother was suddenly in such a hurry. He waved a goodbye and jogged after him. Kili and Fili looked at each other before looking at Bofur.

"Well, we should be going on too! Bye!" They said at the same time, bowing and waving before leaving the black haired boy alone. Bofur sighed, before looking at the nurse's office once more. And he left too.

LlLlLl

Ori looked around the house furiously, looking for either Dori or Nori. He disliked the fact that he wasn't with his brothers, though he'll never admit that to anyone. Maybe Kili and Fili, but they'll probably tease him relentlessly about it. He sighed. Debating with himself, the scared side of him won, and he trudged to the house phone. _Only for emergencies._ Dori had told him. They were in a tight budget again, as Dori had to bail Nori out of jail, again. Looking at the phone, he wondered if he should call Dori or Nori._ Dori._ He had then decided. Dori doesn't tease. He fussed over his littlest brother, but it's good to be cared for. Sometimes.

Dialing the number, he waited for it to go through. Dori did not pick up. Ori tensed. He did not know if his brother is in danger or if he were lost, and losing either of his brothers would be more painful than anything. Suddenly, the front door banged open, but the angry shouts that followed did not make Ori feel better.

"You idiot! You always have to, _have to_, get in some kind of fight!" That was Dori. Soon Nori's voice, angry and accusing, came.

"I saved you back there! The least you can do right now is to thank me!"

"If you hadn't gotten us in that fight, then you didn't have to save me!"

"So you would rather those kids get beaten up?"

"They didn't need our help! In fact, they would not need _your_ help!" The words were out before anyone can say anything else. Nori, face red from anger, punched Dori straight in the face, grabbed his jacket and stormed out of the house. Holding his nose, Dori ran to the door, wanting to repent: to plead to his little brother that what he said was not his intention. But there was no stopping Nori. He had left. And he doesn't seem to be coming back. Seeing what he had done, Dori looked around the room, maybe reminiscing all the laughs and fights; way more fights than laughs. He fell to the ground and held his head, sobbing. Not knowing what to do, Ori knelt down, held his oldest brother, and stared at the door.

LlLlLl

_I will not forget my house key. I will not forget my house key. I will not forg-_ The tip of the pencil that Kili was using had snapped. Slowly standing up, he saw his mother's look, and held up the dull tip to show that he can no longer write. Dis sighed, and nodded. Fili looked up and was almost thinking about doing the same thing when he heard the sound of a throat being cleared. His blue eyes found Dis looking, though it was more like glaring, at her eldest son. He quickly looked back down and continued writing.

Thorin watched all of this, and in some level of amusement I must say. Though Dis was not a tall woman, when she is scary she seems like she could tower over Gandalf. And right now, this instant, she looked like she was going to squash her two careless sons with her foot. He could hear her muttering things such as, 'Always forgetting,' or, ' Never going to strive.' Some part in Thorin pitied his nephews, but the most part it was laughing. Seeing his tall nephews be so vulnerable underneath his short sister's wrath; it was a sight to see.

Kili shuffled back to his seat, and continued to finish writing _'I will not forget my house key'_ one hundred times. He was on ninety something but his hand was cramping from the continuous writing. But by Durin's name will he ask his mother for a break. _We should've remembered the key._ Kili thought, not for the first time since they started writing.

LlLlLl

_IN THE MORDOR PRISON…_

"Hey, you've got a visitor." The prison guard told the man. His eyes were dark and old, but inside, a deep fire burned. He smiled a smile that would make a devil run. Slowly, he stood up. And let the guard escort him to the visiting area. Standing in front of the other side of the bulletproof speaker box, was his _beautiful_ wife. Ex-wife if you wanted to get into specifics. She looked tired and scared, like every other time when she came to visit him. _Isn't she loyal?_ His cellmates had asked him. He only smiled and shook his head sadly. It wasn't about loyalty, she just wanted to let their children – no, her children – know that he was still their birth father, no matter what he had done.

His voice raspy, for he hadn't talked in such a long time, gave a crackly cackle. She flinched, like he can hurt her again. He smiled that smile, and finally spoke.

"Hello my sweet."

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**So that's Chapter Four! I know this one was a bit shorter than Chapter Three, but I was not in the best condition… Thank you for reading!**

**BTW, I haven't fully decided what I should name the evil father and the sad mother. If anyone would like to drop a suggestion, it would be fairly appreciated.**

**Now unto the thanks: Thank you to VanessaAndEllieTheVamps for not only being a follower and favorite of the story, but for also putting me as his/her authoress ****favorite! Thank you so much!**

**Thank you to ninashtia, Ulyssa Odell, and Chantal92 for following this story!**

**And finally a huge thanks to my reviewer for the last chapter: TheMaddieArchives! Thank you so much!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello! I'm doing a super update as how I had three wonderful people give me beautiful reviews! Love you three more than lemon tarts! (Which I _love_ lemon tarts, so that's ****a lot.) Anyways!**

**Disclaimer: I don't really want to repeat things but eh. I do not own anyone besides Benitia, Whittle, Yew, Rebecca, and Ruber. All the rest is from the wonderfully talented Tolkien.**

**Without further ado...**

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The merry spirit was in the air, literally. Benitia could taste the candy canes that were almost everywhere, hung around the candy store that she was at before going to the orphanage. Looking at all the children there sometimes made her spirits better, but mostly it reminded her of how her innocent little sisters' hearts were crushed underneath their father. She shuddered at the phrase.

"Need some help miss?" She frowned. She was pretty sure she heard the voice before. Looking up, she saw, and gasped. Standing there in a red and green apron with white strips was none other than Bofur. Not exactly sure what to say to her classmate working at a candy store, she vaguely remembered that his uncle and father combined their candy and toy store together. It had a grand opening the early summer, but Benitia had to attend to a court meeting, so she never had the chance to come.

"Well, if it's none oth'r than the Miss Benitia herself. How may I help you lassie?" Bofur asked, smiling kindly. Benitia was still quite speechless, but she fished around her purse looking for the candies that she wanted to give the children. Finding the long list, she pulled it out and handed it to Bofur. Staring at all the candy, he couldn't help but ask, "And why do ye need so much? If ye don' mind me askin'."

"Well, I wanted to give the children something for Christmas, and my sisters told me that this was a good store." She summed up, not sure if Bofur can hear above all the noise in the shop. Surprisingly he had heard, and seems to be pondering on something before asking her another question.

"An', is yer sisters called Whittl' and Yew?" Shocked by how he knew this, she could only nod. Seeing her expression made Bofur laugh a hearty laugh before explaining, "Those girls are one of our best custom'rs. Didn' know ye three were related. Don' look that much alike of course."

"I inherited my father's looks, they look more like mother," Benitia explained, smiling. _That's strange; I'm smiling even though I'm talking about Father. Hm._ Benitia thought to herself. But amidst all the joyfulness coming out of Bofur, she ignored all that.

LlLlLl

Nori walked around the park, thinking about picking someone's pocket, but didn't have the heart to do so. He thought back on the fight that he had, and immediately his anger started to boil again. _That Dori, doesn't he care about anyone else?_ He thought angrily, getting more agitated by the minute. Not thinking about a certain destination and just wandering around, he found himself at the door of Bifur, Bofur and Bombur's shop. More like their parents', but he didn't go into specifics. Deciding that going in would be better than standing outside and freezing; he opened the door to the shop.

Inside there wasn't that many customers left, but there was still one at the counter. Though looking closer, he realized that the person wasn't ordering, or she had already finished, but was chatting with Bofur. Walking towards them, he slowly heard the conversation that was going on between the two.

"… So you make all these things yourself?"

"Of course! It's all homemade, an' though I don' brag, it's far bett'r than most." The girl laughs; not a jeering laugh or a mockery laugh, but one that seems to be genuine: a laugh between friends. And, by the sweet Valar, was that a blush on Bofur's face? _I must be going bonkers._ Nori thought.

"Oh!" The sudden exclamation made Nori jump a bit, like someone being caught doing something. _Was I doing something? Well I suppose I was eavesdropping. Oh never mind._ Nori debated internally. When he was finally back to hear the conversation again, he only caught the last bit.

"… I will come again I suppose. Thank you so much Bofur." A small nod from Bofur, and a little more reddening to his cheeks. _By Valar, he _is _blushing!_

"Thank you, Benitia. See ye soon." They waved and the girl – Benitia it seems –walked past Nori. Seeing his chance, he quickly advised his friend.

"Well, isn't she a looker?"

LlLlLl

_Thwack! Thwack! THWACK!_ The sound got louder and louder until it was echoing in the gym. Almost everyone was looking at the young male with a Mohawk, who was roundhouse kicking the punching bag so hard that the sound was loud, tremendously loud. After a while, the male stopped kicking and circled the poor bag, and attacked it with wild ferocity. But looking closely, you'll notice that all the movements were precise and well thought through. By the time he was finished with killing the bag, everyone was looking at the male. He was tall and strong, looking as someone in their twenties'. But no one would've guessed, that this young man was only in high school. The tenth grader was Dwalin, son of Fundin.

Suddenly, the door to the gym opened, snapping most people out of their trance. In walked in a young man, and though his appearance looked like he was hitting age thirty, he was actually only twenty-five. How many times had he been asked how old he was? More than you can count. How many times had people told him he must be bluffing? Lots and they hadn't done so in a kind way.

"Are you just going to take out your anger, from Valar knows where, on this poor punching bag?" Balin asked him, looking wearily at the thing. His younger brother always had anger issues, but only the one from above knows what has gotten him in a rough mood; more than usual of course.

Dwalin had heard Balin of course, but neglected to answer the question. If he thought of it more than he already had, then the bag would be broken by his angry punches and then they'd have to pay – scratch that, Balin had to pay – and it was just so annoying. Looking hard at the bag like it was the thing that had caused his annoyance, Dwalin ripped the bandages tightly wrapped around his knuckles. Without another word, he disarmed himself, and placed everything neatly inside his duffle.

Understanding that his younger brother won't be speaking for sometime, Balin waited for him and followed his agitated brother out. Many eyes were following, but Balin felt a feeling unease with one of those glances. He turned around, and most people had the manners to turn around. The ones that kept staring stopped at the sight of Balin's annoyed face, but there was one eye in the crowd that kept staring; the one that Balin could not find.

"Are you just gonna stand there? Or are you comin'?" His brother's gruff voice called to him. Shaking his head clear and simply thinking that he was paranoid, Balin turned and followed.

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_IN THE MORDOR PRISON…_

"Hello my sweet." Ruber had stated, though it was much more like a rasp. Rebecca had only nodded back; still a bit shaken from the fact of her tormenter for years on end had just said something _kindly_ to her. He was going to bargain for something, she knew it.

"Why the face? Don't you love coming to see your _dear_ Ruber? You should be happy at a time like this! It's…" He slowly came to a stop, silencing himself for a good ten seconds. Not hearing anything for a while, a guard walked in. Finally Ruber spoke, "Christmas."

Rebecca started to tremble at the reminder of such a holiday. There were only three people in this broken mess of a family that knows, and Yew and Whittle were not part of it. It was only Rebecca, Ruber, and – of course – Benitia. The entire thing had actually happened with Benitia, and had scarred her baby girl so dearly that Benitia would be frightened during this season.

Seeing her reaction to the mention of the word, Ruber started to laugh hysterically. This not only scared his ex-wife, but also the guard as he immediately called for someone to take the maniac away and swiftly escorted the woman from the room. Nodding her thanks in far away manner, Rebecca drifted towards the past…

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**Wow! That was a bit shorter, but I wanted to update quick to thank all of the wonderful people. The next chapter would probably not be up as fast since I will be going back to school and my teachers are Sauran's decedents. Anyways! Onto the thanks:**

**To TheMaddieArchives, who had reviewed and given me the idea of using Rebecca as the sad mothers name. Thank you dear!**

**Next, to 83Day-Dreamer83 who had followed me and gave me a very encouraging review. Thank you!**

**Then it is to CharlEBailey, who had followed this story.**

**Next is to the Guest reviewer going by the name MORE, I had done so and I'm quite happy that you've reviewed.**

**Finally, to all the readers! It's only the fourth and we already have 147 views and 48 visitors! You guys are awesome!**

**Thank you so much for reading! *Giving Love* *Kisses***


	6. Chapter 6

**(I never thought I'd post it this early… But here you go~)**

**Hi! So this is Chapter Six, and I myself was shocked by how long it was. BTW, please go to my profile and vote for which dwarf to be with Benitia, it's all up to you guys' vote! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the song "Let It Snow" or the song "Christmas Lights". I also do not own The Hobbit, and the more I say it the more I get depressed…..**

**ANYWAYS! Onward!**

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_TEN YEARS AGO…_

_''O the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is sooo delightful, and since we've no place to go; let it snow, let it snow, let it snow,' the radio sung. The whole street was in a merry spirit: There was decorations lining the roof, and laughter was everywhere. The one exception, the house at the end of the street there wasn't. Not a bit._

_ Screaming and shouting could be heard, and a loud crying. Inside that house lived the Reverends. There was a time, long ago, when there was laughter and happiness, but now there is only screaming and crying and the slam of the door. This was no condition to raise a child, but there was a child there anyways. Benitia Reverends. The five year-old had grown up in the fear of her father, and she never quite understood why 'Daddy' was always so mad. When 'Daddy' got extra mad, he would start hitting, and that didn't make sense either because 'Mommy' said that hitting was bad. But this all happened nevertheless._

_ "Why do you want the brat to get a, whatever that thing was?" A deep voice stated with authority laced in. Within one hand he held a bottle, in the other was the Christmas gift that Benitia wanted so desperately. Inside was a snow globe with a lady playing the violin. Rebecca was shaking, in both fear and – this doesn't usually show, but – anger. She wanted her daughter to smile again, like when Benitia was a younger child. But with this evil in the house, her baby girl would never be happy._

_ "It's her wish. She wants to be a violinist and if you would just – " The loud sound of cracking glass as Ruber smashed the bottle down was terrifying. But not as terrifying as the roar that he gave. Rebecca, so scared, had immediately shrunk back to the wall. But he wasn't going for Rebecca; he was going for Benitia. _

_ "BENITIA!" The loud shout had made the young child jump, but she knew that if either 'Mommy' or 'Daddy' called her name, she needs to go meet them. Climbing off of the chair that she was sitting at, she trotted to the living room, only to find her father in the doorway. The fear that she had inside of her was enormous; her father was a tall man, six feet or so, and being only five years old, she was tiny as a comparison. And now that giant of a fellow was standing in front of her, with blood shot eyes, and some blood on his hands._

_ "Daddy, why is your hand red? Do you have a boo-boo?" The five year-old asked in genuine concern, but that only made Ruber even madder. Roaring louder than before, he charged into the room. Benitia screamed and ran around, terrified of what's happening. At the same time, Rebecca heard the high pitch screaming of her daughter, and ran to the room. But by the time she was there, there was more blood than ever. And Benitia's small limp body was on the floor. Tears streaming down her face, Rebecca ran into the room, and rushed towards the broken child. But a large arm stopped her. Looking up, she saw the eyes of her _husband_, the man that she married, and the _father_, of her child. The one that caused her baby to lie on the ground, not even stirring. Glaring at the man, she shoved his arm away and continued to go towards her child._

_ Benitia had a wound on the side of her head, and the blood was coming out quite steadily. Knowing that her child would die if she didn't stop the bleeding, she torn off her cardigan and wrapped the wound tight enough to stop the bleeding, but loose enough to not cause discomfort. Shoving past her 'husband' as she went out, she grabbed her purse and keys, and drove to the hospital._

_ Back inside the room, Ruber was staring at the spot where Rebecca's daughter – no, their daughter lay. He didn't even know what had happened actually, everything was blurry because of the bottle, but all he remembered was that he had smacked a hand upside her head. It was only a smack, so how did it bleed? Looking down at his hands, he saw the present, and vaguely remembered that inside there was a _glass_ snow globe._

_ He staggered back a few steps. 'I killed my girl. I killed Beni.' The realization was too hard to understand. To hard to compute. He ran out of the room to the living room, where he grabbed his set of keys, some money, and out the door. The radio by the tree cracked out, 'Christmas night, another fight. Tears we cried a flood. Got all kinds of poison in, poison in my blood…'_

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_THE HOSPITAL…_

_ Rebecca rushed into the emergency wing, and ran right into a nurse doing so. The nurse was going to turn around and tell the lady to watch where she was going, but as she did turn she saw the bloodied mess of the child. Containing a gasp, she directed Rebecca to one of the gurneys and called over two nurses to take the child to care. They were reluctant at first, but upon seeing the child, they took her swiftly. Rebecca made a move that looked like she was going to follow, but one of the nurses stopped her._

_ "I'm sorry ma'am, we cannot let you in yet. When the doctor is finished, then we will call you in. I'm sorry," one of the nurses told Rebecca, and took the child in. Rebecca, scared and confused, slid onto the clean, white tile floor. Looking at her blood red hands, she saw all the red pouring out of Benitia's head, and the red on Ruber's hands. Disgusted, she used her fingernails to scrub off the blood, but it didn't leave. Now scratching furiously at it, she saw the blood run again and was crying and now screaming. The other people in the waiting room looked at the young woman, who was breaking and dying inside. Finally, a woman couldn't take it anymore and went to the floor to hold Rebecca. Not knowing whom the person was, and how she should be scared someone she didn't know was holding her, Rebecca held onto the woman as a lifeline. _

_ The whole room was now silent, hearing only the crying and sobbing of one lady._

_ Seeming like ages later, a nurse came out and told Rebecca to follow her to see Benitia. The woman that held her for the past hour or so gave her an encouraging squeeze and watched the lady stagger to the nurse. 'Such a thing shouldn't happen, it's Christmas,' was the main thought that ran in all of the people that saw the scene. But it happened._

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_ "She's in here," the nurse said to Rebecca, and immediately the mother ran inside. But the sight was not something that made her feel any better. There was Benitia, her small form with some tubes running in her. Where the wound was, there were bandages that had a bit of red._

_ Holding up a strong front for her baby, she smiled a sorrowful smile and said to her, "Are you feeling okay 'Nitia?" Benitia took some time to answer, but nodded. Sighing with relief, her mother sat next to the bed where her child was. _

_ "Mommy, is Daddy mad at me?" The question caught her off guard. Shocked and unable to answer, Benitia continued, "Because he was yelling at me and he was holding a present. So that means he was mad, right?"_

_ Finally finding her voice, Rebecca explained to her daughter, "No sweetie, Daddy had too much bad things so Daddy was not being himself." But Benitia didn't seem to hear that, as she continued on._

_ "I don't like Christmas anymore Mommy. Because I told Santa that I wanted Daddy to be happy and not angry. But maybe I'm selfish so Santa didn't make that wish come true." Big tears now welled in her eyes but she had said it. Of course, what she hadn't said was that all her other wishes since three years old were the same thing. Looking more shocked at her daughter, Rebecca didn't know what to say. But by then Benitia was too tired from all the blood loss and fell asleep._

_ 'I don't like Christmas anymore Mommy.' The words echo in her mind. 'I don't like Christmas anymore Mommy. I don't like Christmas anymore Mommy. I don't like Christmas anymore Mommy…'_

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_BACK TO THE PRESENT…_

"Miss, are you okay?" The guard asked her. She faintly nodded. Christmas was in two weeks. The tenth anniversary – if you want to call it that – of the accident is coming up. And who knows how well Benitia would deal with it. She sighed and thanked the guard, signed out, and walked out of the building to the car.

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Thorin watched Dwalin leave the gym. He wanted to talk to Balin about things, but it didn't exactly felt right. Not when Balin had to help his little brother and that scary anger issue. Thorin could faintly hear Dis telling him, 'What about _your_ issue, eh?' Sighing, he turned to the woman who he would be subbing for in the next two weeks. Funnily enough, the break goes after Christmas **(A/N: I know this makes no sense what so ever, but please just go on with it… I'm crazy…)** thus the woman decided that this was crazy so she'll take her break early and get another two weeks off of it.

"So all of the names are here, and you'll be teaching for periods two, four, and seven. You'll have to stay an extra hour for the students who have period eight for ICL on Tuesday and Thursday. Here are the roll call and also, please write down the students who slack off. They always think that since I'm not here they can do whatever they want, ha! Oh! Do watch out for the brothers." Through all of the lady's rambling, Thorin didn't really pay attention; that is he was listening, but not whole-heartedly. Until the word 'brothers' was heard.

"Pardon, but which brothers are you speaking of?" He asked, hoping that it's not the ones that he knows. But yet again, he knows a lot of sets of siblings, maybe it's just one of them.

"Well, that'll be Kili and Fili. They always goof off and act silly, but don't worry; you seem tough, and they don't mess around with someone tough. I wonder why though…" _Yes, I also wonder why._ Thorin thought. Clearly knowing that his nephews had caused plenty of trouble, he didn't know that they caused it even at one of their favorite subjects.

"Well, thank you. I'll keep an eye out for those two." Shaking her hand, he proceeded to go home and think about what to do with those two idiots, when the lady spoke again.

"Wait! I forgot about someone." Curious at how she'd forget something, for she has really clear thoughts, Thorin turned around and waited. "It's Benitia Brownings, she isn't the most stable and she isn't very comfortable around grown men. You have heard of that case haven't you?"

Thorin nodded. Almost everyone had, as it was a huge deal. Middle Earth doesn't usually have any cases of abusive families, but this one had been going on for a little more than ten years. She continued on, "Well, the biggest thing that happened in that case was ten years ago during Christmas, which is now, so she tends to freak out sometimes. If she does, then let one of girls who know her well enough take her to the nurse. They know what to do," She nodded a bit, more to herself than to him and sighed, "Well, that's pretty much it. Thank you very much. I think they'll like you." She smiled, shook his hand and left the gym.

Still standing there, processing the information, Thorin looked up into the florescent lights up above, he sighed. _This will be a wonderful experience._

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**So, that's the flashback. I hope it made sense, but there was a confused child, a drunk of a father, and a mother who's just too tired and sick of everything. As suggested by 83Day-Dreamer83, I placed Thorin as a ****substitute teacher. Now! Unto the thanks:**

**A really special thanks to 83Day-Dreamer83, not only had you reviewed, the review made my day and was so encouraging! Thank you dear!**

**Another thanks to TheMaddieArchives, thank you so much for reviewing! (The name works really well~)**

**A thanks to VanessaAndEllieTheVamps, even though you didn't technically review, but you PMed me one and that's really sweet.**

**Finally, thanks to everyone who reviewed! You guys are awesome!**

**Just another reminder, please vote for who I should pair Benitia with, it's all to your choice! Thanks once again!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello! I'm sorry I hadn't updated in a while, I was a bit stuck on how to word some of the things in this chapter. I hope it's good and it's not all that confusing…...**

**I have some hints and fandoms hidden in this chapter, and I'll reveal them at the end~ Try to find them!**

**Disclaimer: Do you really want me to say it? Fine; I do not own any of these characters, only the ones I created.**

**Onward~**

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Going to the doctors had always been less than pleasant for Oin, with that cranky secretary and the broken TV. But this time, it was the gnawing feeling of confusion at his brother that bothered him. He didn't quite understand why Gloin wanted to leave so quickly, they had apologized, and she had accepted it – more or less – and it was all fine. _But it isn't, is it?_ The voice that always criticized everything spoke up. _He isn't being himself and you know why._

Oin shook his head. _No. _He argued back. _Just because of what happened to her, it doesn't mean that he had scared her or anything. She's all right._ But within all the rambling he had done to shake off the feeling, the other voice laughed. It was cold and sent shivers down his spine.

_Oh but it is… He did set her off… Accept it poor child, he set her off… And now she's scared and she's crying and everything is bad for her and _– Oin slammed his fist down on the arm of the chair so hard that the sound was deafening. All heads turned towards the young man who was shaking his head relentlessly. His mother carefully touched his arm.

"Are you alright?" She asked him softly. He slowly nodded. But Oin was far from being anything as 'alright'. The voice had said what was probably on Gloin's mind; that they had scared the poor girl somehow.

Across the waiting room, Gloin looked at his older brother with weary eyes. He guessed that his brother was agitated from what happened at school today. He was too; he feared that he scared the young lass.

But neither knew that being pushed was the least of their worries. The most scariest thing that can happen to Benitia had to be the holiday coming up: Christmas.

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Thorin drove back home in near silence. The only sounds were the radio that kept yapping out a merry Christmas song. He wanted to change the station, but knowing that if Kili or Fili found out, they will never let him hear the end of it. As the song ended, the DJ started to blab about how the season is beautiful and so wonderful and blah blah blah. Coming near a red light, he reached over to shut off the radio, when the DJ suddenly talked about child abuse. Shocked at how he had changed the topic so fast, Thorin didn't close the radio. The DJ continued.

"So, in honor of the 10th Year of Reverends' Case, P.O.M. is going to have a charity for children that have endured child abuse. Please donate to help." The station cut into commercial. Thorin stared at the knob, unable to register what had happened, until a loud _honk _snapped him out. He stepped on the gas but he was in a complete daze while driving. Luckily there weren't any accidents that occurred because of him.

When he pulled into the driveway, he saw his nephews sitting on the front porch. Sighing to himself, he got out of the car, and asked the obvious question.

"You forgot the keys." Nod from both boys.

"And Dis won't come to help." Another round of nods, this time looking more miserable.

"So you waited for me to let you in." Kili looked up, and there were the biggest and roundest puppy dog eyes. Despite being fifteen years old, Kili still looked adorable; but Thorin would never say that out loud. He sighed.

"Alright, before you two get sick." The brothers sighed, thinking the worst had gone away. But Thorin knew that Dis would kill him if he let them off that easy.

"But I'll let Dis deal with you later, I think she would want to be the one handing out the consequences." Fili groaned while Kili moaned, Thorin laughed internally to himself. Suddenly, he noticed three other girls standing on the sidewalk. He turned and asked, "And you three are?"

The tallest girl, with the white highlights, tensed up visibly. The second tallest answered. "Hello, we were just admiring the lights and decorations. They are very pretty." The smallest one giggled and grabbed the oldest's – by the height – arm. As if snapping out of a trance, the girl nodded tensely and waved goodbye.

While Fili waved back instantly, Kili took a second before doing the same. Wondering why that is, Thorin nodded his head himself before ushering the two brothers inside.

LlLlLl

"So, care to explain?" Thorin jumped right to the point. Fili shifted from one foot to another, while Kili looked around the room. He asked more specifically, "I meant with the girl outside. She seems to be a friend of yours, right?"

This time, Kili shifted his from one foot to another while Fili looked around. Hearing his older nephew sigh, he knew the girl wasn't a friend. Out of the blue, Kili answered.

"She's this girl in most of our classes. But I think Bofur is better friends with her," As soon as he was finished, he looked down. _There's more to this_, Thorin thought. He waited patiently for Fili to speak up about his part of the story. Finally, the blonde spoke.

"She's the Benitia girl, the one from the case. And, like Kili said, we're only classmates. Nothing else," Fili started to twist his fingers around, an obvious sign of lying. But Thorin knew that his older nephew would speak when he wishes to. Nodding his head at the siblings, he motioned for them to do whatever they please. Also known as, _shoo, shoo_.

They left their uncle to his own thoughts, and went up to their adjoining bedrooms. As both brothers wanted their own privacy, yet not have separate rooms; they have adjoining ones. Once in the privacy of the rooms, Kili cracked the ice.

"What were you going to say?"

LlLlLl

"Fee, tell me. I won't tell Uncle or Ama, please." Kili looked at his older brother with pleading eyes. He hates it when they have things between each other. Fili looked down at his feet, and plopped onto his bed. Flipping himself over, he groaned into the mattress. He doesn't want to keep something from his baby brother, but he doesn't want to tell him either. Thinking the thing through, he figured that telling Kili wouldn't be as bad as telling Uncle Thorin or Ama. Flipping himself over, he decided to tell the entire thing to the brunette. Er, most of the entire thing.

"So, remember that project we had to do?" Kili nodded, not entirely sure of where this is going. Fili continued, "Well, I had been paired up with Bofur and Benitia, and I started to notice how she has artistic talents, and how her handwriting is just so beautiful, and the way that her hair goes into her eyes and–" Kili held up his hands.

"Wait a minute: you like Benitia?" Fili swallowed the knot in his throat, and nodded. "How? I mean; I know she's great and all, but how?" Kili couldn't believe his brother; he thought it was something else, but definitely not this.

"Well, I mean, she's smart, and she's caring: remember when there was that lost hedgehog near the woods? She took it home and everything. She's just sweet and you saw her smile today; it was beautiful." Fili looked lovesick. _He's gone bonkers,_ Kili concluded. Not being disrespectful to Benitia or anything of the sort. The girl is amazing, and kinda cute too, but Kili just couldn't see everything his brother said.

"My dear brother, I understand what you're saying. But I don't see it. I know she's really pretty, and very smart, and not the least bit unkind. Yet, didn't you like the other girl?" Fili looked at his brother with a face that could be interpreted as _'brah, you think I care about that other girl?'_ It was very visual.

"Fine, I get your meaning; Benitia isn't all that social and she doesn't have a lot of friends. We have that through. Then what about your side? Hm? You didn't wave back to her?" Kili felt his face heat up. He didn't realize that someone had noticed that. But apparently someone did.

"Do you think Uncle noticed?" Sighing, Fili nodded. Now it was Kili's turn to groan and flop onto the bed.

"Come on Kee, tell me. I told you." Nodding miserably, Kili rolled over to tell him.

"Well, I mean, looking at her, I thought about that other girl." Not entirely understanding, Fili cocked his head to the side. Sighing, Kili specified, "That ginger, the one with pretty boy?" Fili's eyes widened.

"You like _her_? But, but she's one of those ICLs!" Kili groaned again and buried his head in the comforter. Feeling bad for the kid, Fili rubbed circles into Kili's back, the way he did when they were younger. "It's okay Kee, she is cute. Wait, don't tell Uncle I said that."

Turning around to look at his brother, Kili thought about all the things that would happen if Uncle knew. Eyes widening at all the terror that would definitely happen, he turned back to hide in the bed.

Suddenly, there was the sound of the garage door opening. Both brothers sat up in alarm. Thinking the same thing, they inwardly cursed. "Ama's home."

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Bofur pulled the lock out of the shop door. It was about nine o'clock, and he hasn't even started any homework. But getting to talk to Benitia was a plus. Blushing a bit more at the conversation that Nori told him, he shook his head. _I 'ave to go home an' help Bombur with his homework. So don' both'r me._ Walking home, and whistling, his mind took him back anyways.

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_A FEW HOURS EARLIER…_

_ "Well isn't she a looker?" Bofur looked up in alarm. There was Nori, with the ever-present smirk on his face. Feeling the heat rise to his cheeks, Bofur decided to act dumb._

_ "What are you talkin' about?" Nori waved one thin finger at him and tsked, as if he was a child._

_ "Now Bofur, we all know that we shouldn't lie about such things. Tell me, how do you plan on asking the pale beauty out?" Bofur sputtered, feeling the blush coming along quite steadily now. Laughing with no small amount of amusement at his embarrassment, Nori continued, "You see, lasses like them don't want to be approached with shyness or any thing like that. They'd rather be met with a gruff man. They like to be with a strong person, not someone who's more of a sissy than themselves. So, when you want to ask her out, you look her in the eye…" He paused. Bofur found himself leaning forward, wanting to know and wanting to flee the counter. Finally, Nori spoke, "… And kiss her!"_

_ Bofur jumped back, shocked by what he was just told. 'I can' kiss her! That's outrageous!' The logical Bofur shouted, but the more uncivilized Bofur seemed to smile at the thought. Kissing her sweet lips, and feeling her arms around him and – He snapped out of it. 'That's crazy. I can' do that to her.'_

_ "That's crazy, ye don' mean it, right Nori?" Nori smiled – not smirked, smiled – at him knowingly. The burning in Bofur's cheeks intensified. Nori knew that he does want to kiss her. 'Great, out of all the people; Nori,' He groaned internally._

_ "Think about it Bofur, it'll be worth it." Laughing as he walked out, Bofur thought that his cheeks were on fire. Bifur walked over and asked him (with loads of visuals), 'Are you okay? You look red.' Groaning out loud this time, Bofur hit his head on the counter._

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BACK TO THE PRESENT…

Reaching his house, he remembered to fight down the blush or else Bombur might ask just as well. 'Why is this all so confusin'?' Bofur thought, and just as he walked in, something hit him on the head.

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**So, that's Chapter Seven! Just to explain incase any of you guys were confused, Oin & Gloin's situation was right after they left soon. Thorin's situation was after he was made the sub of Kili & Fili's class. Kili & Fili's situation was about an hour before Dis comes home. And Bofur's, well, it's a few hours after Benitia went to the shop. (Wow. My explanation seems more confusing…..) **

**BTW, did any of you guys see the similarities? Here's the answers:**

**P.O.M.= Prince Of Mirkwood (aka Leggy)**

**Hedgehog= JAWN!**

**Ginger= Tariel **

**Now unto the thanks!**

**Thank you 83Day-Dreamer83 for reviewing and voting!**

**Thank you TheMaddieArchives for reviewing!**

**Thank you for following and ****favoriting!**

**Finally, thank you to all the readers!**

**Please go vote on my profile on who should be with Benitia! Love you guys!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi! So I've decided to update either on Friday or on the weekends, I hope that's okay to everyone!**

**Disclaimer: Ugh, this is depressing… I do not own the Hobbit or it's characters…..**

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The car ride from school was eerily silent. Balin would look at his brother every now and then, but Dwalin just stared out the window. For Balin, he tries to take care of his little brother, but the child pushed him away every time he tried to talk. Sure they do talk, but not about 'feelings' or 'emotions'; no, Dwalin doesn't talk about those things. He had asked Thorin to talk to his little brother, but so far, the ex-owner hadn't said anything yet.

"So, I hope everyone is feeling so merry!" The radio chirped. It was P.O.M., ran by one of the students at Middle Earth High. "It's such a nice weather is it not? The temperature today will go from the high 12 degrees Fahrenheit to low -5 degrees. Brr!"

"That pretty boy, thinking he's all that," Dwalin muttered, and finally turned around to shut off the radio. Just before his fist rammed on the knob, Balin heard the most heartbreaking news.

"Stop! Stop!" Shocked by the sudden command, Dwalin's hand stopped a millimeter away. The 'pretty boy' continued.

"There are still many in this world that are enduring child abuse. So, in honor of the 10th Year of the Reverends' Case, P.O.M. is going to have a charity for children who have endured child abuse. Please donate to help." The radio cut into commercial. Balin was speechless while Dwalin suddenly scowled more and turned around again.

"Do you want me to close the radio?" The former asked him, but the latter didn't even grunt or anything. Just stared at the window again. Feeling that twinge of guilt whenever Dwalin is acting like this, Balin tried to persuade him to talk. "Dwalin, are you alright?"

The younger male just grunted something that sounded like, 'Fine' and became quieter. Sighing, Balin focused on driving, feeling terrible for the younger.

All the while though, Dwalin was getting mad at himself. He felt like he was going to burst from everything that happened today. The punching bag didn't even take a little bit of the anger that was boiling inside him. _Why am I so stupid? Why can't I get anything right? Ugh!_ The thoughts of blame and anger yelled at him. Suddenly having the urge to smash something again, he tried to take his mind off by staring at the houses that passed by.

_There's Nori's apartment, then there's Oin's ear doctor; oh, that must be Mister Thorin's house._ The thought of the man calmed him a bit. Talking with him about what had happened a few days ago did feel better, but he dreaded the moment when his brother finds out. Balin is a great brother and all, but he just worries too much. Not anything compared to Dori though. _No one can compare to Dori's motherly instincts_, Dwalin thought, chuckling to himself.

From beside him, Balin cracked a tiny smile; he hasn't heard Dwalin laugh a lot since middle school. Not since their father, Fundin, had died in the accident that took most of their family. Their house held many merry relatives as they lived with extended members, but when the gas exploded; it took many. The once happy family turned silent and somber, and the once full family became thin. Sighing once again, they drove the rest of the way in still silence, the only sounds being the radio that played songs that didn't make anyone merry.

Finally the two turned into their driveway, and without a word Dwalin left the car and unlocked the house door. Balin could hear the slam of his younger brother's bedroom door. He thought about telling him not to slam it that loud, but decided against it. Looking at the clock on the dashboard, which read 2:28, he realized that he was supposed to Face Time the man at the job interview ten minutes ago. Immediately, he rushed out of the car and barely remembered to lock the door. Going into the house, he found four messages on the phone. Opening the voicemail, the first message started to play,

_ "Friday, December 11__th__, 2 PM., from 303-230-7589; Hey, its Fili, dude, can you come over tomorrow? We're gonna have a game at the court – oh! By the way, this is for Dwalin. Bye!"_

Balin almost internally face palmed. He knew the blonde since they were all young, and he knew that they were fools; but this was just sad. The next message played,

_"Friday, December 11__th__, 2:07 PM., from 303-390-4392; Have you seen Nori anywhere?" _There were sputtering and gasping, it sounded like Dori was sobbing. _"I did something stupid, and, and, he ran away, and, and, I don't know what to do, do. If you see him tell me!"_

This time Balin was shocked into silence. It was obvious that the two brothers didn't get along easily, but this had never happened before. Thinking about calling Nori's cell phone, the third message played,

_"Friday, December 11__th__, 2:17 PM., from Child's Brightest Star; I'm sorry to inform you that, Mr. Balin, we cannot accept you to work at our association. We strongly appose those who are unable to comprehend the importance of time management. We apologize. Thank you."_

The world spun in front of his eyes. He needed that job badly and he had lost it. About to leave the entire place and not planning to do anything more, the last message began to play,

"_Friday, December 11__th__, 2:23 PM., from Beni; Hey Dwalin, you weren't answering your cell so I decided to call your house phone. I hope that was okay. I just wanted you to know that it's okay, it's not your fault okay? Just don't tell anyone, I don't want them to know…"_

The line clicked. Balin looked at the piece of machinery as if he had never seen the object before. Suddenly, pounding of footsteps reached his ears and when he looked up, he saw his brother looking flushed and staring at the same thing. Then Dwalin scowled and walked towards Balin with such anger that the latter couldn't help but fear the former.

"What did you hear? Did she say anything?" Dwalin demanded, looking both angry and – quite shocking to know – scared. "Well?"

"She said something about being okay and not telling anyone," Balin narrowed his eyes, "What aren't you telling me?" Dwalin backed away, shaking his head. _No, Balin can't find out; Beni doesn't want anyone to anyways._

"Just delete that message." And with that, Dwalin retreated upstairs to his bedroom. Staring numbly at his wake, Balin went over to the messages, and instead of deleting the message; he emailed it to his own phone...

LlLlLl

Benitia walked home, feeling quite happy. The talk with Bofur was enjoyable and the children at the orphanage were as sweet as ever. Sure the talk with Dwalin didn't exactly make anything good, but that was just about resolved. Just when she thought nothing could dampen the bit merry mood, her cell rang. Almost groaning to herself, she looked at the Caller ID. _Bofur_. She frowned. The only reason she had given Fili and Bofur her number was because of the project that she had to do with them. It was a fun assignment, but she really wanted to be in Kili's group. Realizing that her cell was still ringing, she picked up.

"Hello?" There was shouting in the background and the sound of someone sobbing. She looked skeptically at the instrument until someone spoke on the other end. That someone wasn't Bofur though.

_ "Benitia! We need help! Please!"_ There was more sobbing, coming from the speaker himself. Slowly she understood that the person she was speaking to was Bombur, and though she hadn't really spoken to Bombur, they could be counted as friends.

"Um, alright. But what's wrong?" The sobbing got louder until she couldn't really hear anymore. Sighing to herself, she mentally listed all the pros and cons of this situation. _Now isn't the time for that!_ The internal Benitia yelled. Nodding her head to herself, she decided to do the right thing, "Okay, Bombur, I'll be at your house in ten minutes or less okay? Calm down."

The sobbing ceased a bit, and she could faintly comprehend a bit of, 'thank you' and, 'I'm sorry'. A bit confused she just nodded again and hung up. Looking at the full moon up above, she made a small prayer to just _someone_ for all this to be over: to wish that the dreadful date were already over. _Suck it up you, now hurry up and go to their house._

LlLlLl

Bofur groaned, feeling a stabbing pain at the front of his head. All he could see was blurry figures and sounds that faded in and out. Not fully understanding all the things, he caught some words.

"… Awake… Head… Intruder… Frying pan…" _What?_ He questioned. _Where am I?_ Something bright flashed in his face and, on instinct, he flinched. But that movement only increased the pain. He groaned again, wanting to just hide his face and body from all the pain; from everything. Something stopped him though. Some_one_ actually.

"…Don't… Head… Bad…" This voice seemed more feminine than the former one. His heart paused. _Mom isn't home, neither is Auntie._ The gears turned in his head and he looked at all the possibilities. All but _that_of course. Finally, the pained dulled for a while, and his vision became clearer, as did his hearing. And he saw.

There she was, worry etched upon her pale face. Looking at him like she felt like this was all her fault. _Benitia_. He wanted to say that this wasn't her fault, say that it's all right; but he couldn't move his mouth. His tongue felt heavy and thick in his mouth, and he tasted blood. _What in the Mahal happened?_

Benitia felt terrible, looking at Bofur in pain was torture. It wasn't because of feelings though. It was because of the _accident_, as Father had placed it. The same thing had happened, and it was only luck that Bofur didn't get internal bleeding or anything like that.

"You got hit with a frying pan, you're alright though. You bit your tongue and it may feel numb, I had to stop the bleeding," she summarized to the hurt male. Once done with that, she turned around and proceeded to tell Bombur just about everything and nothing at the same time, "He needs to rest his head, so don't let him move around too much. There might be a bruise there soon enough, and tomorrow morning take him to the doctors. If he feels any pain during the rest of the night, immediately take him to the doctors. Alright?" Nodding to herself, she patted Bombur on the shoulder and leaned close to whisper, "Don't worry, it's not your fault."

With that, she waved goodbye, called back a, 'feel better' and left. The three men stared at the door before sighing in relief – well, two sighed, the other one moaned.

LlLlLl

_You have a new text! Open?_

_From: Dwalin_

_To: Benitia_

_Dec 11. 9:47 pm_

_Hey, u k?_

_Reply_

_To: Dwalin_

_From: Benitia_

_Dec 11. 9:49_

_Yeah, you didn't tell anyone right?_

_You have a new text! Open?_

_From: Dwalin_

_To: Benitia_

_Dec 11. 10:01_

_Yea, im sry_

_Reply_

_To: Dwalin_

_From: Benitia_

_Dec 11. 10:02_

_It's not your fault… It's mine… Just…_

_You have a new text! Open?_

_From: Dwalin_

_To: Benitia_

_Dec 11. 10:04_

_Its not ur fault!_

_Reply_

_To: Dwalin_

_From: Benitia_

_Dec 11. 10:07_

_It is… Just… See you Monday. Bye._

_Message Sent_

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**DUN-DUN-DUNNNNNNNNNNN! That's Chapter Eight! I hope that you guys didn't take the Dwalin and Beni thing too seriously….. Anyways! There was a lot of things in this chapter and I hope that you all caught that! Time to thank people!**

**First off, TheMaddieArchives, thank you so much for the review, and I'll try to add more of Fili in the story~**

**Then, VanessaAndEllieTheVamps, I'm happy that you enjoyed this chapter, and thank you for voting!**

**Guest Review (Joyce Garcia), I'll try my best to add as much KilixOC, but all my results of who goes with Benitia belongs to the poll results… Sorry!**

**Thora Ironhand, I'm thankful that you really enjoy this story! I do remember that I answered the answer in a PM, but if I didn't, do tell me!**

**Thank you THE WALKING sexy AMC, for following and favoriting this story!**

**Now, this is extremely important: Thank you to vanessa. tyau for following and ****favoriting this story! I'm so sorry that the thanks didn't come through for the last chapter because of the system…. I'm so sorry! I'm giving you lemon tarts as a sorry! :*(**

**Final thanks for all the readers of this story! **

**Please vote on my poll in my profile! Thank you all so much!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello there! I am so sorry that I didn't update. In truth, there are many reasons, but I'll list them at the end just so that the people who don't want to know won't have to know. This is probably the longest one I've written so far, and I'm pretty proud. But without further ado...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit or it's characters.**

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_'Daddy, why is your hand red? Do you have a boo-boo?' The red-eyed monster lunged towards the young girl. She screeched and ran. I stood there standing still, screaming. But I couldn't move. The man finally swung with the block – no, it was a globe, it was glass – and the girl feel with a thud. Tears falling down my face in a steady stream, but even though I shouldn't be able to see anything; everything was as clear as day. _

_ Another person ran into the room. She looks terrified. I wonder why she didn't come earlier. She took away the girl. I don't want to see anymore, but I do. I am dragged to go to the hospital. There were people working on the young girl. The blood comes out steadily. Suddenly, I'm allowed to move. I walk out of the room. But outside there was the woman, crying and crying. _

_ Everything blackens._

_ When the lights come back on again, there were Christmas decorations everywhere. Lights and Santa Clauses and wreaths and they all laugh at me and they all lunge towards me and the monster comes again and this time he has a bat and he's running towards me and –_

Benitia woke up screaming. She couldn't breathe, and there were tearstains on her face, spreading mascara everywhere. Looking at the clock on her nightstand, the time read '4 AM'. Gasping and trying to calm herself, she decided that she wasn't going to sleep anymore. Getting up off the bed, her head spun and all she could see was spots. Groaning and feeling around to go to the bathroom, she heard her bedroom door open.

"Benitia, are you okay?" The sound of her mother's voice pierced her head like a thousand daggers, but she nodded anyways. "You were screaming, so I wanted to check up on you, are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine Mother. I just need to shake it off. You don't have to care about this," Benitia snapped back. Realizing how her words must have hurt her mother, she immediately started to take back the harmful words. But all her mother did was sigh.

"Just go back to sleep okay? There might be school today, but it's only four," Rebecca softly told her, "I love you."

Benitia felt herself freeze up again. She hadn't said anything that related to love towards her mother for such a long time. She tried to say the words, but she couldn't feel her tongue. Interpreting the silence as a dismissal, Rebecca simply nodded and left the room. The door closed softly.

Finally finding her voice, Benitia softly replied to no one, "I love you too."

LlLlLl

Outside the bedroom door, Rebecca started to weep. She understood that after all that has happened, Benitia couldn't say such _childish_ things to her. But it didn't mean that it doesn't hurt. There was the opening of a door, and the sound of socked feet on tile floors. They slowly became squeaking sounds of weight on stairs. Looking up, Rebecca saw Yew standing in front of her, rubbing her eyes. Smiling softly, Rebecca wiped her teary eyes and began directing her youngest daughter back to her room.

LlLlLl

_AT THE SCHOOL…_

There were cheerful laughter and lots of, 'hello' or, 'how was your weekend?' Looking around, you'd think that you'd only happiness. But there were a few people who looked miserable or upset. Those few were Dwalin, Kili, Fili, Ori, Gloin, and Bofur.

Dwalin was upset because of the text that Benitia sent him. Kili and Fili were miserable because they were 'grounded'. Ori was upset because Nori never came home for the weekend. Gloin was upset because of how the end of Friday had been for him. Bofur was miserable because, well, let's just say getting whacked with a frying pan is painful.

Walking in front of them was Benitia herself, but she wasn't miserable or upset. She was quite happy. Despite of what happened in the morning, she visited the animal shelter and had found out that one of the stray kittens would be adopted soon. Those little deeds always made her smile, and this deed was important to her, because she felt that no one should ever be alone. She felt that no one should be abandoned or left behind. She felt that no one should be like her.

Fili looked up and saw _her_, the girl that he is head over hills for, the girl that has the sweetest smile anyone has ever seen. She was walking with a skip in her step, something he had never noticed before. She was wearing the normal attire for Benitia, a black vest with a white T-shirt, black skinny jeans and leather boots. Her bag was swung on her shoulder in a carefree way, and her dark hair was braided in a fishtail flipped towards the front. Finding himself staring at her for far too long, Fili blushed and looked away. Hoping that no one noticed he stared at the ground and twisted his hands together.

But someone noticed; Kili noticed. Looking in the direction of where Fili previously stared, he saw the oldest Brownings all bubbly and looking quite nice. _Wait what?_ Kili asked himself. _I did _not_ just check out Benitia._ But looking at the girl once again, he figured that she isn't too bad. She had a good enough figure, a bit on the short side, but was cute. In fact, the height matched her. And, like Fili said, she does have a cute smile. Frowning, he wondered what was wrong with him. _If Fili likes her, then I shouldn't be hitting on her. That's messed up._ Sighing, he continued walking.

Hearing a sigh, Benitia turned around, and saw what was maybe the gloomiest bunch all in one. There were the two brothers who looks weary and depressed, and the other two pairs of brothers who also looks depressed, and then there's Bofur and Dwalin. Thinking about what she was going to say to the latter, she mustered up some courage and walked towards the group. The boys noticed immediately and manage a 'hello' or two. Seeing how Fili and Bofur perk up at her, she wondered why that was, and walked towards Dwalin. The tall boy towered over Benitia, with at least a one head difference, but it seemed that the taller boy was shortened against her.

"I decided to do it. It'll be okay, so don't worry about it," Benitia stated. Dwalin stared at her as if she had grown an extra limb. The people around them had no idea of what they were talking about, and it seems that they weren't going to get an explanation. Mostly because Dwalin blew up.

"What do you mean that you're going to do it? Beni you told me yourself that you hated it!" Dwalin exclaimed, grabbing her shoulders in the process, as if shaking her from this bad decision. She merely shrugged out of his bond and shook her head no.

"I need to do this, it'll be good for me. Don't worry, I've handled worse," she smiled a bit, and turned around to walk away. But if anyone were really paying attention, they'd find that her legs were trembling, as is her shoulders. She was terrified of her decision, and she knew it.

LlLlLl

_IN P.E. CLASS…_

The class, all dressed and ready to do whatever the teacher has planned for them, was loud. It wasn't just normal loud, but cafeteria loud, the kind that you need to shout over someone else to be heard. The brothers, Fili and Kili, were goofing off as usual, but without as much enthusiasm. Dwalin was visibly angered during history class, tensing and glaring/staring at Benitia's head, trying to use telekinesis to tell her to change her mind. The brothers didn't know what it was, only that she had missed most of the beginning of the period to go to the office, doing whatever.

Then there was also Bofur; apparently to what the rumor said, he was attacked by a frying pan. But the main part of this rumor was the second part, for they whispered that a beautiful maiden had came to help, only to leave before he was fully conscious. If this was true, as it seems to be, then no wonder Bofur was distressed. Knowing that someone had taken care of you but you didn't have time to give thanks; that is disgraceful. Sure you can have your family to help you say thanks, but after you're better, you have to tell them yourself. By the looks of it, Bofur didn't know who it really was. _Poor lad_, Fili thought, but continued to mess around.

Suddenly, there was a sharp blow of a whistle. The majority turned around to look, only to end up gaping at the sight in front of them. The man was tall, with dark brown hair, and a fine body. He was wearing a sweatshirt, and khaki shorts. But they didn't gap because of his body; sure there was quite a few girls who couldn't stop staring. But most were looking at him because of _who_ he is.

"Now, I am going to be your substitute teacher for two weeks until Winter Break. Your teacher would be on a vacation but she wants me to update her on every activity that goes on in her class, so don't think about messing around. Now I'm just going to take roll and then we'll be doing the assigned exercise. Pardon me if I pronounce your name wrong; Franci?" The said girl paused before raising her hand. The man nodded before continuing on. By the time roll was finished, everyone had his or her attention on this man. Finally he introduced himself, "I forgot to tell you; my name is Mr. Oakenshield."

Throughout the entire class period, everyone did as they were told, but there were whispers of why the previous owner of Dain Co. would be here teaching classes. There were many guesses, but most of them sounded ridiculous. At least, they did to Fili and Kili's ears. Some were talking about how he had wanted to stay as a permanent teacher and replace their old one. Another was about how he's probably dating their teacher. The most stupid one was that he was dating one of the _students_. Kili choked when he overheard that one. Seemingly that no one had the respect to shut their mouths when the nephew of the very man was there, the two boys decided to hang around the one person who wouldn't even raise an eyebrow at this man. Benitia Brownings.

"Hey Benitia, care if we stay here?" Fili asked the girl, who was in the corner of the gym, playing basketball by herself. She merely nodded, turning a bit pink in the cheeks when Kili got a bit close to her. They both said thanks, and were shocked to find that she was a good player. She would just stand on the three-pointer line, maybe a bit behind it, and shoot. There would be a swish of the ball going through, but she made no big deal about it. Just retrieved the ball, and kept going. Kili counted the all of the shots that she made, and was about to count to thirty-one when her hand slipped. Wondering what had happened, Kili saw her wobble a bit, before collapsing. Running towards her and catching her, he motioned for Fili to help him. But realized that it wasn't needed; she was light, almost as light as a young child.

Suddenly, she awoke, and looked extremely confused. Finally, she realized that someone was holding her, and she looked up. Her pale face turned into ten shades of red, first going from the milky skin to a light shade of pink, to fully blush red. Kili would've laughed – and was going to – until he thought of _why_ she's blushing.

_Sure she's probably just shocked that she fell. Or maybe she's just embarrassed that she fell,_ Kili thought, until he faced the truth. Benitia Brownings liked him. And he doesn't return the feelings. Looking almost lost, he just laughed like he was planning to do, and slowly guided her to her feet.

"You sure do fall a lot. Do you need to go the nurse?" He asked nonchalantly, but if Fili was near, then he could tell that Kili was all but nonchalant at this moment. In fact, he was freaking out. Mostly because Fili was his brother, and Fili likes Benitia, and Benitia likes him; but Kili doesn't like Benitia. In fact, he doesn't like anyone in his classes. He likes a certain redhead, the certain redhead that people would not agree him being with. Plus she likes that pretty boy anyways.

"Are you okay?" Benitia jumped at the voice. They both turned around to see Fili and Thorin standing there. The speaker appeared to be Thorin, but in truth, Fili looked more worried. Kili felt a pinch of guilt, knowing that the said girl doesn't have any romantic feelings for the blonde. Since she has feelings for him.

Benitia nodded, and mumbled a small, 'thanks'. Thorin merely nodded his head and walked back to the teacher's desk. The two brothers looked at Benitia and burst into laughter. She puffed out her cheeks that looked childish and suited her; despite the fact that she usually looked so mature. In the corner of Fili's mind, he wondered why she was so open with them. But it was such a small and tiny voice that Fili didn't care. Looking at her so happy and smiling and being a normal child; he wouldn't even care if someone else in the class was crying. Her joy overpowers it all.

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**So that's for Chapter Nine! I hope you like it and I wonder if any of you guys guessed what was the thing that Beni is going to do…. Anyways! Onto the thanks!**

**A thank you to TheMaddieArchives for being the reviewer! You're too kind dear!**

**And a thank you to all the readers! Your support keeps me going!**

**And if it's not an ****inconvenience, is it okay for you guys to drop by my profile and check out the poll? It'll be very much appreciated! Thank you!**

**Now the reasons why I didn't update:**

**I have had drama issues and I was stressed. My boyfriend decided to place a hat on me, breaking all my thought processes. My mom doesn't let me go on FanFiction because I'm "addicted" to it. And the fact that my dad is here visiting us.**

**But that's not important! Thank you all for reading! You guys all get lemon tarts!**


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